Inspired by a Saigonese lunch lady, this Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops (Sườn Nướng) recipe brings back memories of delightful Cơm Tấm breakfasts from her food stall.
The secret tip I picked up from this amazing lunch lady will guide you to whip up the most flavorful, authentic lemongrass pork chops, just like those in Saigon 😉.
Table of Contents
Best Cuts For “Sườn Nướng”?
If you’re in a rush, feel free to skip ahead to the recipe card at the end for precise measurements 😊.
In Vietnam, “Sườn Nướng” doesn’t only refer to grilled pork chops; it can also be spare ribs or even pork shoulder.
- Feel free to substitute pork chops with spare ribs or pork shoulder in this recipe.
- Choose pork chops with some fatty parts and ensure they are not too thick (around 1 cm or 0.4 inches).
If pork chops are your favorite, you could try my recipes for Char Siu Pork Chops or Toyomansi Pork Chops.
Preparing The Pork Chops
A tip I learnt from the lunch lady in Saigon is snipping the edges of the pork chops. Make about 3-5 cuts per chop, 1 inch (2.5cm) deep each. It helps the pork chops remain flat while grilling or pan-frying.
Besides, don’t forget to pound the pork chops. This step helps the chops absorb the marinade more effectively and results in a tenderer texture when cooked.
Secret ingredients for the marinade
MARINADE
In Vietnam or Thailand, local people often use certain ingredients to tenderize meat for grilling. These might be milk, coconut milk, honey, palm sugar, and brown sugar.
- In Thailand, people often choose evaporated milk, coconut milk, and palm sugar.
- In Vietnam, we love using full-cream milk, condensed milk, honey or brown sugar.
Feel free to get creative with the ingredients; for my recipe, I go for full-cream milk and honey, which are always available in my kitchen.
FLAVORS
- Fish sauce: Most Vietnamese dishes can’t be complete without fish sauce.
- Lemongrass: Lemongrass is a popular herb in Vietnamese cuisine and SEA cuisines. It is used generously in BBQ, stir-fries, as well as soups and stews.
- My tip is to use Vietnamese lemongrass chili oil. It’s easy to make and incredibly versatile, adding not only flavor but also a vibrant color to your dishes.
- Vietnamese 5-spice: this spice goes a little but a long way. Too much 5-spice could overpower the lemongrass flavor. The fragrance of Vietnamese 5-spice is milder than that of Chinese 5-spice. It’s also a popular ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine like in Gà Roti (Vietnamese chicken in coconut water sauce).
VIBRANT COLOR
- Annatto oil: optional, but it helps create the alluring, vibrant color for the pork chops. You could skip this ingredient if you use the Sate sauce (Vietnamese lemongrass chili oil) or replace it with some paprika powder and cooking oil.
Related Recipes | If you love the flavor of lemongrass, you could also try
(Vietnamese Beef Stew with Tapioca Noodles)
(Vietnamese Spicy Lemongrass Chicken)
(Thai stir-fried chicken with red curry)
(Rice Noodle Salad with Lemongrass Beef)
Instructions
- Prepare the pork chops by snipping the edges and pounding them gently to tenderize.
- In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well to create a flavorful sauce.
- Place the pork chops in a bowl or sealable bag and pour the marinade over them. Ensure the chops are well coated. Let them marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight for the best flavor.
- Prior to cooking, allow the pork chops to rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This helps them cook more evenly.
- Cook the pork chops using your preferred method (one of the four ways mentioned below).
Four Ways To Cook
PAN FRYING (the most convenient option for a small kitchen)
- Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Pan-fry each side of the pork chop for about 3-4 minutes, adjusting the cooking time according to the thickness of the chops (0.4 inches/1 cm).
GRILLING (the traditional method, yielding the best results)
The authentic street food vibe in Vietnam wouldn’t be complete without the alluring, mouthwatering fragrance wafting from char grills on the streets.
- Heat your grill to medium-high heat. Place the pork chops on the grill and cook them for 5-6 minutes on each side. Cooking time can vary based on the thickness of your chops.
OVEN-BAKING (for making a large batch)
- Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
- After 20 minutes, place the marinated pork chops on a grill rack with the drip tray underneath. Cook the pork in oven for 7 minutes, then flip and cook for other 7 minutes.
AIR FRYING (another convenient option)
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (180°C). Place the marinated pork chops in the air fryer basket and air fry them for 10 minutes.
- Then, flip the pork chops, increase the temperature to 390°F (200°C), and cook the pork for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Explore other tasty Asian recipes with air fryer.
How to serve
Lemongrass pork chops are a key component of a Cơm Tấm platter. In addition to the pork chops, a full plate of Cơm Tấm typically includes:
You could make a simplified version with just the pork chop, scallion oil, pickled vegetables, and dipping fish sauce. This is called “Cơm Sườn” or “Cơm Sườn Nướng”.
For the steamed rice, the best choice is broken rice (“gạo tấm” in Vietnamese), but steamed jasmine rice works fine too. To save time, you could try my quick and easy microwave jasmine rice.
Best Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chops (Sườn Nướng)
Ingredients
Marinade sauce:
- 0.8 lb pork chops (350g)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp Vietnamese Sate Sauce (or 1 tbsp finely minced lemongrass + 2 tbsp annatto oil)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp Vietnamese five-spice powder
- 4 tbsp full-cream milk
Condiments:
- Vietnamese scallion oil
- Vietnamese dipping fish sauce
- Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon
Instructions
- Start by preparing the pork chops. Snip the edges and gently pound them to tenderize.
- In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients.
- Place the pork chops in a bowl or sealable bag and pour the marinade over them, making sure they are evenly coated. Let them marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight for the best flavor.
- Before cooking, let the pork chops rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the pork chops. Pan-fry them for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side, adjusting the cooking time based on the thickness of the chops (around 0.4 inch or 1 cm).Or you can also cook the pork chops using a charcoal grill, air fryer, or oven (refer to the method section in my post).
- Once the pork chops are cooked to your desired doneness, remove them from the pan and let them rest for a few minutes before serving with steamed rice.
- Serve alongside scallion oil, dipping fish sauce, and pickled veggies.
